The InterContinental Hotels Group Friends and Family promotion response and bookings was so successful. Great news that the promotion has now been EXTENDED through September 30, 2009, for stays through September 2010!

Here is my personal link:

InterContinental Hotels Group Friends and Family Promotion

Many have made good use of the link, getting some great hotel discounting. Here's another opportunity!

Same rules apply as in my previous thread. These bookings are pre-paid, non-refundable.

•Click on the link to enter the exclusive booking site

•Book a Friends & Family rate by September 30, 2009 at any of the over 4,100 IHG hotels anywhere in the world - including InterContinental, Crowne Plaza , Hotel Indigo, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites hotels.

•Download the voucher - which you must present at check-in

•Enjoy your trip!

*The Friends and Family rate is only available through my personal link. You must use the link provided to make your reservation or you will not get the discount. Feel free to share this with other friends, but if you forward the email to anyone else, please make sure they know to use the link to get the discount.

Denise,
That is wonderful news. Thanks so much for continuing to share. How generous of you! I am taking my two sons off to college in the fall and can make good use of your generosity. Many thanks.

Denise, thanks again for your thoughtfulness.

And when you depart Monday for France, wishing Alan and you a spectacular & safe
journey through Province...hope you find breathtaking scenerary, mouth watering meals and
exquisite French wines.

Thanks, Denise. I suspected this would be extended but didn't want to take the chance, so I went ahead and booked the IC in Sydney in May for our stay there in November. Unfortunately I booked at the same time the $ took a major dive against the Australian $, so didn't get as good an exchange rate as I would have if I'd booked earlier or perhaps waited a month or two. C'est la Vie.

Thanks for posting this Denise! Leonard and I are still trying to decide between the IC in Istanbul and the Four Seasons for our trip this sumer. This may make that decision much easier. You're a peach!

Andrea

WOW! That is exciting news. I will keep thinking of someplace. Lynn

I hope you find the extention useful, Andrea, Susan, Peggy and Lynn.

Andrea, we stayed at the Ceylan InterContinental a few years ago and had a wonderful stay there. If you can arrange a room overlooking the Bospherous, please do so.

I appreciate your good wishes for our upcoming trip to Provence, Wes. Celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary and Alan's birthday on the 15th in such a beautiful destination will be something very special, indeed. We depart on Monday and can't wait to experience and savor the beauty, food and wine of Provence.

Denise,

Thanks for your thoughtfulness for the Friends and Family promo. Thanks to you I was able to use this during a weekend of an extended trip in France. The Intercontinental Grand Hotel in Paris was just what I needed to decompress while working. Needless to say, my CFO was pleased with the great rate! (I guess I made it for it by eating well.


Hope you and Alan have a fabulous anniversary in Provence! Congratulations! And a big Happy Birthday to Alan, too! Enjoy! Live! Love! Laugh!

Andrea, Go for the IC in Istanbul. We also stayed there a couple years ago, Denise arranged a 3 night stay there for us. It is a beautiful property! Our room turned out to be a huge suite with a beautiful view. It was the nicest hotel we have ever stayed in anywhere. There is also high security there; so we felt very safe. Denise, we will always be grateful to you for arranging that wonderful stay. Judy & John

Denise,

Welcome Home!

How was Alan and your trip to Province..fav sight? fav wine!

best, Wes

Hi Miriam,

I am so glad to hear your stay at La Grand was a great one. This property, that Alan and I had the opportunity to stay at in 2006, is a real jewel. A wonderful place for you to decompress, for sure.

Thanks for your sweet anniversary and birthday wishes and welcome home, Miriam and Wes. We returned from our journey through Provence late last night. This was a trip long in the dreaming and planning. Planning with the assistance of a superb guide made for an incredibly magical and beautiful land trip through one of the most beautiful regions we've ever visited, with the exception of Tuscany. Hard to choose a favorite site, because each village is spectacular in it's own way. The landscape are sights to behold and remarkable, the markets are fantastic, the food and wine outstanding, the people warm and friendly. Sunshine every day, lavender and poppies fully in bloom - easy to see why Van Gogh and Cezanne were so inspired. We toured hidden "nooks and crannies" that only a guide of remarkable detail and experience could provide. We stayed in a guest house in Aix-en-Provence. The proprietor was a lovely woman. Her guest house suite was impeccable, inviting and centrally located to everything. We were fortunate to have visited the Musee Granet to view a very special Picasso/Cezanne exhibit which was on limited display.

All in all, a special and beautiful journey that will live in Alan's and my hearts forever.

How lovely.

Denise, I booked a couple of nights at the Intercontinental in NYC this weekend for $132 a night! Thanks!
I might book a night at Logan airport for the return. We have a less than 24 hour layover there so it may be easier just to stay at a hotel at the airport.

My wife and I will be stopping in London for three days in September, and are considering three ICH hotels: the Intercontinental Park Lane, and two Crown Plazas: The City and St. James. Park Lane and City have the F&F offer, and while the St. James doesn't, it has a pre-pay bed and breakfast offer in a superior room (30 sq. meters) that is actually a bit less costly than a comparable room at City and of course a great deal less than the Park Lane. Frankly, we rarely stay at five star hotels, choosing four star properties like the Crown Plaza, where we’ve had very nice rooms with excellent service and great beds (NOTE: the CP in San Pedro CA is an outstanding pre- or post-cruise choice if you are sailing from or to the Port of Los Angeles).

We haven't been in London in 24 years, and will be doing the tourist thing, museums, galleries, Changing of the Guard and other sightseeing, etc. We are a bit concerned that the very generous F&F offer doesn’t include breakfast, which we both rely on, and which some TripAdvisor reviewers say is hugely expensive there. Any advice, recommendations, suggestions, other warnings? Thanks.

IHG has some wonderful properties in London.

The F&F rates are, indeed, very generous. Considering that these rates are quite substantially discounted, these properties will not further dilute a greatly discounted rate by including breakfast. If you chose an upgraded accommodation to Executive or Club level, breakfast might be included within the rate. Worth investigating. When we visited London a couple of years ago, we researched and found some very moderatly priced dining options that were excellent.

Enjoy your visit to London.

Have you looked at the Red Carnation Hotel Chain? Their four star properties are really a bargain and offer breakfast. They are well located and the service level is extremely high. We have never been disappointed.

We also stayed at a Red Carnation property in London. The room was small but very nice. Breakfast was excellent.

Denise, we just booked three nights in an incredible two floor suite with balcony on the executive level of the CP in Auckland. Can't wait to stay there prior to our December 2nd Mariner trip. The rate was fantastic! We greatly appreciate your providing us with this opportunity.

Deb and Rick

You're very welcome, Deb and Rick. Wishing you a fantastic stay in Auckland.

I'd really like to hear about Crowne Plaza Auckland when you return, as my husband and I are in the midst of solidifying plans to tour New Zealand in 2010. I'll be requesting my employee rate there for our time in Auckland.

Denise... I've just booked a stay at the Istanbul Intercontinental for 3 nights in August, thank you so much for making this fantastic opportunity available!

tecolote

Wishing you a great stay in Istanbul at the Ceylan InterContinental. We stayed there a few years ago and loved the property. I hope you are able to get a room overlooking the Bospherous.

Denise,
We stayed two nights at the Intercontinental in Budapest in July and loved our stay. Can't thank you enough for sharing your discount with us. We are planning on booking a hotel in Austin when we take our baby off to college for his freshman year. Many thanks for your generosity.

OH MY GOODNESS!! I woke up this morning and thought I would jump on LCT to see what was new. Somehow I went immediately to this post....you just saved me over $1000, yes, that's three zero's, on a reservation (Tahiti) I had made months ago!!!

Holy cow!! Thanks SO VERY much! I can probably afford to have my parents' luggage shipped now! That takes a huge load off my mind. I was so worried about flying through LAX and having them walking all over that place collecting and re-checking luggage!

:lct:

Hmmmm, that brings me to a question. I looked back through luggage shipping posts (thanks Karen). I am wondering what recent experiences have been with companies. I know Ngaire mentioned International Port Services. The link she posted didn't work, so maybe they don't exist anymore?

I am also wondering if we should have luggage shipped to and from the ship (bypassing the hotel). We could pack enough in our carry ons for the 3-day hotel stay.

(editing to say: yikes! I just took a preliminary look at pricing. The Luggage Club from the B&K website would be almost 3 times as much as Luggage Forward! Any ideas about why the huge difference?)

Thanks for any replies, and THANKS AGAIN DENISE for making this offer available!!!!!

A-very-grateful Sheri

International port service used to be Regents company but this company was a major disaster and Regent does not tuse them any more.

http://www.bkrssc.com/I_Luggage_Delivery.htm

This is who I used going to South Africa. I have a link on my web. they will give a 5% discount and a $50 off the quote if you mention BK. We do NOT make commission we just refer this company as a service to our clients.

Leslie and Brad have used a different service and had good luck also.

DO NOT use International Port services use someone else.

Thanks Ngaire!

It looks like Luggage Forward is at the top of my list.

I need to see if I can talk my parents into packing a bit lighter than usual. My stepdad just packs until the suitcase is full!!! :)

The price really gets really high for "oversized" luggage.

Sheri

Sorry, Susan and Sheri, to be late in replying. Alan and I had been spending some wonderful, quality time since last Wednesday with our precious new grandson. We just returned home.

Great to hear the link and some wonderful discounting is working for you both.

Sheri, I had to read of your savings TWICE before it sunk in. WOW!

There are a few LCTers who booked Crowne Plaza Auckland. We just booked a Tauck tour through New Zealand for November 2010 and plan on arriving several days earlier and staying at this property. Any experiences you are able to share would be greatly appreciated.

Denise, I will gladly give you a report after our stay at the Auckland Crown Plaza! Thanks again, Deb

Thanking you, in advance. Greatly looking forward to your report, Deb. I know that beginning your visit to New Zealand with a warm and welcome stay at Crowne Plaza Auckland will jumpstart a marvelous time in New Zealand!

Hi Denise. Thanks for your very thoughtful offer. I have a question for you and hopefully you have time to answer it.

If one is a member of the Intercontinental Ambassador program, are room category upgrades offered on F&F bookings?

Seems that many folks have benefited from your thoughtfulness......many thanks!

Hi vaitape,

You are very welcome.

Here are what the Terms and Conditions are, as indicated on the site:

"The Friends and Family Rate Promotion is available to Participants only. The Friends and Family Rate Promotion is available for room bookings only and not for packages or other components. Reservations must be booked on the Friends and Family Promotion reservation website before September 30, 2009, and must be made in advance of travel and are non-refundable, as determined by each hotel. The Friends and Family Promotion rates are subject to availability and may be changed without prior notice; do not qualify to earn Priority Club® Reward points; may not be booked by travel agents; and are not commissionable. All room reservations are subject to each hotel’s standard room reservation and cancellation policies and procedures. All Friends and Family Rate Promotion bookings will be subject to applicable taxes, fees, and other standard service charges. The Friends and Family Rate for each hotel will be determined independently by each hotel and will vary with hotel locations/occupancy and blackout dates. The Friends and Family Promotion may be terminated at any time without prior notice."


I am not certain as to whether or not Ambassador membership benefits would be honored. My suggestion is that you ask. It would be at the hotel's discretion insofar as to whether or not Ambassador perks/benefits could be applied along with a heavily discounted rate. Certainly worth a try, as there is no harm is asking.

Let me know how you do.

Thanks for your reply Denise. Do you suggest asking at time of booking or at check-in?

I would advise that you call the hotel directly, prior to booking and inquire of upgrading when booking through this link and receiving a Friends and Family rate. Ask to speak with either the Guest Services Manager or Front Office Manager. If you are able to put in an upgrade request, you can then call the hotel back, giving them your confirmation number after making your booking through the link.

Upgrading is always based upon availability and getting your request in earlier, rather than later, is always preferable. Upon check-in, reiterate the request, stating that you are an Ambassdor member. Your reservation should include your Priority Club number. However, Friends and Family rates don't qualify for PC points.

Many thanks! Will let you know how it goes.......

Denise,
Thank you for being so generous with your Friends and Family rates. We were able to save money on our stay at the Singapore Airport Crowne Plaza and also when visiting our daughter at college in Boston. Thanks again.
Cheron

Hi Cheron,

Wishing you a great stay in both Singapore and Boston. This special program ends soon and being able to garner some great deals has been my pleasure to offer. I am hopeful that IHG will win over many loyal, repeat guests thanks to wonderful stays at substantially discounted rates, world-wide.

Denise,
The F&F rate is truly a thoughtful thing for you to do for so many. Our favorite destination is French Polynesia, and as Sheri said above, it can save so so much over there. Unbelievable!!! Thank You!!!!

Hi Ruth,

You're so very welcome!

Well, I've climbed onto this bandwagon and booked the airport the night before I go to HKG for DRAGON. I'm on my own for land for PARIS cruise, so have to get to that one, too. Thanks, Denise!

Thank you Denise. This was a wonderful deal & I've booked in Hng Kong & Singapore.

Just tried my luck again, but now I'm getting an error message:

"An error occurred.

We are sorry, but the system could not decrypt the unique information of the employee."

Needed to book a place for tonight (Last minute trip to Philly has to be made), so I guess I'll book without using F&F.

Thanks again for the prior bookings.

oh oh, I dragged my feet with booking at the Tahiti Beachcomber. Just firmed up our air last night, went online this am to book our time in Tahiti and saw Gil's post. I tried several time and received the same message.
Bummer....maybe just a glitch in the system?, she asked hopefully.